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0. O. BOWMAN. v Manufacture of Seggars and other Pottery Ware.

Patented May 11. 1880.

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WNITED STATES ATENT Prion.

OLIVER O. BOWVMAN, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JOHN LEUCKEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MANUFACTURE OF SEGGARS AND OTHER POTTERY-WARE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters- Patent No. 227,408, dated May 11, '1880.

Application filed February 27, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER 0. BOWMAN, of Trenton, Mercer county, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Seggars and other Pottery-Ware, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is intended more particularly for the manufacture of the coarse pottery articles known as seggars, which are subse quently used as open-topped cases in which to inclose delicate articles of fine pottery, to support them and protect them from injuries in the kiln. Whatever may be the outline it is of uniform section for the whole height--that is to say, the plates, or whatever articles are inclosed, are of the same size at the bottom of each seggar, at the middle height, and at the top, and the seggar is required to be of equal diameter and of equal form from the top to the bottom.

I mold the tubular body of the seggar by squeezing previously-prepared clay through a die having a suitably-shaped aperture, in the manner long practiced in the manufacture of drain-pipes. Aflatbottom of clayis previously prepared by the same or other means, with a hole in the center to give air. This is placed on a horizontal platform held close up under the die, but capable of yielding downward. The tube of clay, being forced down from the die, presses its lower edge gently thereon, and, as the clay is forced downward through the die, depresses the platform and its load. When the proper depth is thus forced down through the die the machine is stopped and the tubular part or body out off even with the lower edge .Then the half-made seggar is removed, and a fresh bottom is brought up with proper force against the die. Then the press is again started until it is forced down enough to form the next seggar, and so on. The bottom and sides or body are by this process joined, but not with proper strength.

The bottom having been made originally too large, the surplus or part which extends beyond the sides is nearly all removed and the remainder driven inward and upward by hand to unite with the body. This, however, need not be done until it is inverted. I provide a drum to fit closely in the interior, and, after suitably stopping the vent-hole in thebottom with fresh clay and smoothing the inner side of the joint around the bottom, I apply this drum and press it down firmly to a bearing on the bottom. The surplus height of the tube is removed and the top left flush with the drum and smoothed. Next, the whole is inverted, and, resting firmly on the table or on the jigger on which some of the previous operations may have been completed, is struck a number of blows with a wet paddle or beater, with the effect to firmly unite the bottom with the top or body.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1is a section showing the machinery for applying the tube and bottom together. Fig. 2 is a section showing the clay fully pressed out from the die and cut off and removed. Fig. 3 shows the seggar at a further advanced stage, when the extreme edge of the bottom has been removed, and the formingdrum has been inserted in the interior and the tube shortened to match. Fig. 4 shows the half-made seggar in the inverted position. Fig. 5 shows the same after the bottom has been strongly united, and Fig.6 shows the same completely finished.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A is the lower end of a die of proper form. It will be understood that there is a cylinder and piston above the die, with means for strongly operating it to compress the previously-prepared clay thrown in a hopper. (Not shown.) The operation of the press forces the clayfor the sides or body down through the die A in the form of a continuous tube.

G is a small platform supported on the rod g, connected by the link H to a weighted lever, I. This latter turns on a center, 1', and allows the rod g, with its platform, to be depressed. A bottom, m, in the form of an extended sheet of clay, is laid on a movable board, E, placed on the platform G, and held up thereby against the die A. The upper surface of the bottom m, having been previously roughened by comb and wetted, as above described, is ready for union with the similar smoothedinside, and the drum D inserted. The

tion of the sides or body and base.

tube m, originally made of too great height, is now out off flush with the top of the drum D. Then a board, P, is applied on the top, and both boards E and 1 with theirinclosed mass of clay and drum D, are inverted. Now the board E is removed, and the bottom, having most of the surplus cut off and removed, is pounded first on the edge, to drive inward the surplus at the edge and mold it downward upon the inverted tube, and, secondly, on the top, to drive home the bottom m and effect a strong union thereof with the edge of the tube m. The whole is now complete except the smoothing, which may be done by whirling on a jigger and rubbing lightly with the paddle or by hand. The completed seggar is now turned right side up on a freshly sanded board, the internal drum removed, and it is left to be dried and subsequently burned.

Seggars made by the ordinary processes are irregular in form, and are weak at the junc- My improvement allows the work to be done faster,

with great uniformity and mathematical exactness, and, by the manipulation last described, induces an unusally firm union. There is no joint in the upright part or sides or body. The only joint egcisting-that around the bottomis united by the percussive effect of the blows while the tube rests by its upper rim firmly on the bench, and the shape is maintained by the interior drum.

The trueness of form due to my mode of ing to perfect the form, while the interior of the seggar is preserved by the presence of the drum D, as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Trenton, New Jersey, this 25th day of February, 1880, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLIVER O. BOWMAN.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. MAOPHERSON, F. M. SOHEUERMANN. 

